bChapter /bb818 /b

    The guy staggered back, his vision exploding into stars before he crashed to the ground.

    “Who’s there?” The two guys ahead spun around, their guns immediately rising.

    Before they could react, Aria kicked one of their guns flying and locked her left arm around the other guy’s neck. Using his momentumb, /bshe twisted mid- air–a full 180–and mmed him hard onto the ground. He was out cold.

    The remaining person, realizing they couldn’t beat Aria, made a run for it. Aria caught up to them and used some moves she had learned to knock them down.

    “You’re all out,” she said as she stood up and walked away.

    The voluntary patrol squad leader groaned from the ground. “That girl is too strong. It hurts like hell.” No one answered him because the other two were

    still unconscious.

    Aria continued through the forest, searching for herbs.

    Along the way, whenever she encountered patrol members, she didn’t waste time with words–she just attacked. Her strikes were ruthless and showed no mercy. She also destroyed any traps she found.

    She came across a box containing some intel. Too impatient to decrypt it, she tried to force it open, but even after denting the box, it remained intact.

    “At least this part’s well–made,” Aria said as she stood up and kicked the box away.

    Everyone watching was stunned.

    i“/iAria’s gone mad.”

    “Taking out patrols and destroying traps is one thing, but finding intel and deciding not to take it?”

    Brandon said, “She probably doesn’t even care about winning anymore; she just wants to mess up the rules and eliminate everyone.”

    She had agreed to join the State Security Bureau because she had a high opinion of the ce. But then this incident happened–an avoidable but intentionally discriminatory act against girls. Even he found it despicable.

    “Hey, that box almost hit Gerald,” Hank noted warily. “What’s going on?” He walked over and spotted Aria. “Ariab?/bb” /b

    Jason came out holding the dented box, with Gerald trailing behind him.

    Hank looked puzzled. “We’ve already teamed up. Why are you ambushing our technician?”

    Aria looked at Gerald. “Did I hurt him?”

    She meant to ask if he was injured, but to the others, it sounded like “What are youining about if he’s not hurt?”

    Jason waved his hand. “No injuries.”

    Aria said, “Oh, sorry, didn’t see you guys there.”

    b“/bThis box has intel inside. Why don’t you want itb?/bb” /bGerald, noticing her expression wasn’t greatb, /badded, “Next time you bcan’t /bdecrypt bit/bb, /bbjust /bbreach /bbout /bbto /bme instead of trying to break it open.”

    bThe /bbox was dented. It was obvious she had tried to break it using brute force without any tools.

    bAria /bnodded. “How’s Zoey?”

    Gerald replied, “We just talked to Clifford, She’s fine now.”

    “Alright then, carry on.” She started to walk away.

    Gerald signaled for the others to follow her. “Since we’re working together now, let’s stick together.”

    Aria shrugged. “Do what

    you

    want.”

    They spotted some patrols guarding a spot and hid in the shadows. Gerald whispered, “Usually, wherever there are guards, there’s intel.”

    Hank suggested, “Jason and I will distract them, and Gerald and Aria can grab the intel. Sounds good?”

    Aria suddenly said, “Why bother distracting them? Let’s just take them out.”

    Aria picked up a stick from the ground. “There are four of us and seven of them. Our chances are good.”

    Hank’s eyes widened, thinking, ‘Are you too confident or what? Four against seven?‘

    Gerald chuckled. “She’s right; our chances are good. Let’s eliminate them.”

    “Go!” The three of them grabbed sticks and charged.

    Hank and Jason nked from the sides while Aria and Gerald charged head–on.

    “Enemy attack!” yelled one of the patrols as they raised their guns and pulled the triggers. It wasn’t one–on–one; it turned into a chaotic melee where everyone collided with whoever was closest.

    The patrols couldn’t find a chance to use their guns; meanwhile, the four wielding sticks did it with skill, hitting hard enough to truly hurt.

    In the chaos, someone identally fired a shot. A quick nce revealed it hit one of their own.

    The bullet was specially designed for thepetition with reduced lethality but increased pain. It struck the person in the abdomen, and he immediately bled. Losing all strength for defense, he red fiercely at his teammate. “You’re dead.”

    The teammate who fired the shot closed his eyes in despair and was also taken out.

    Aria spoke up, “Seven of you–all out.”

    The leader of the patrol couldn’t hold back. “What’s with you guys? Everyone else avoids patrols, but you all attack.”

    They didn’t want topete; they signed up as patrols just to use their guns to scare people. Instead, they got beaten so badly.

    Feeling the joy of eliminating others, Hank grinned. “You can eliminate us, so we can eliminate you. Dead men can’t talk. bBack /bboff/bb./bb” /b

    The seven fell silent.

    Jason got shot in the arm, and Gerald started treating him before going for the intel.

    Unlike the box Aria had kicked away, this intel point was arge machine fixed in ce.

    Ariamented dryly, “They have money for this but can’t provide sanitary products for women?”

    Everyone caught the sarcasm in her voice.

    Gerald nodded. “You’re right, but don’t kick this thing. Let me grab the intel first.”

    Aria agreed. “Sure.”

    Hank and Jason thought, ‘She’s actually going to kick it? Won’t the State Security Bureau make us pay for bdamages/bb? /bbOh /bbwell/bb, /bbit’d /bbbe /bworth bit /bbjust /bbfor /bbthe /b

    b2/3 /b

    b13:53 /bbTue/bb, /bb19 /bbAug /b

    satisfaction.‘

    Gerald took out hisptop and started decrypting. Jason and Hank helped, while Aria kept watch.

    “Got it,” Gerald announced after finishing with the machine and the box.

    At that moment, Fabian and his group emerged from the woods, surrounding them.

    Fabian demanded coldly, “Hand over the intel, or you’re all out.”

    With Fabian’s squad totaling twelve people, while Aria’s team only had four–one of them injured–the odds were clear.

    Gerald safely stashed the intel as Aria chuckled lightly. “You want to take us out?”

    Fabian replied, “Hand over the intel, and I’ll let you go.”

    Handing it over wasn’t even on the table. “Then try it. Let’s see who’s faster at eliminating the other–your squad or usb./bb” /bDespite the numbers disadvantage, not one of the four showed a hint of fear.

    Weyne hurriedly pulled Fabian back. “Fabian, she’s seriously strong.”

    “Quiet,” Fabian snapped, shaking off Weyne’s hand. “I’ll take her one–on–one. The rest of you, don’t move.” He thought to himself, ‘I need to see whether Weyne just underperformed or if she’s truly that good.’

    The two squared off in silence, tension tightening the air. Fabian made the first move,unching himself forward. Aria didn’t hold back–within seconds, she flipped him over her shoulder, mming him into the ground.

    “That’s it?” she said, towering over him with a smirk.

    Fabian scrambled back to his feet, humiliated but determined, and charged again. A minuteter, he was once more lying t on the dirt.

    Bruised and covered in dust, Fabian stood up slowly, his face dark with anger. “We’re leaving,” hemanded curtly. His group marched off in defeat.

    Gerald nced at Aria and said calmly, “Let’s head out.”

    “Hold oni,/ii” /iiAria /isaid as she walked over to a grassy area nearby. She crouched down and dug out several medicinal nts. “I’m heading back.”

    Gerald agreed. “Sure.”

    AD

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